GEORGE ANDREW DAVIS JR. (1920 ~ 1952). Medal of Honor recipient George Davis Jr. was born on December 1, 1920, in Dublin, Texas, to Pearl and George Davis Sr. After graduating from Morton High School in Morton, Texas, he attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. Davis joined the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet on March 21, 1942, in Lubbock, Texas. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant after completing flight training on February 16, 1943.

In August 1943, Davis was assigned to the 342 Fighter Squadron, 348 Fighter Group, Fifth Fighter Command of the Southwest Pacific as a P-47 fighter pilot. Between August 30, 1943 and March 23, 1945, Davis completed 266 combat missions with a total of 705 hours of combat flight. During these missions he shot down seven enemy aircraft. For his service in World War II, Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star, and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters.

Davis returned to the United States May 3, 1945. After completing a Student Flight Refresher Training course at Goodfellow Field, Texas, he was assigned as Base Operations Officer there from July to August 1945. Davis was transferred five times between 1945 and 1951, serving as a Jet Fighter Pilot, Flight Commander, and Air Inspector in California, Tennessee, New York, and Pennsylvania. While stationed at March Air Force Base, California, in 1950, Davis was a member of the Sabre Dancers jet demonstration team, a forerunner of the Air Force Thunderbirds, and was commended by his commanding officer, Colonel Howell Estes, for his performance in a public air show that year. He was promoted to Major in February 1951, and in October of that year he was sent to Korea. Davis was assigned to the Fourth Fighter-Interceptor Group as a Jet Fighter Pilot from October 23 to November 9, 1951. He was then assigned to the 334 Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as Squadron Commander.

On February 10, 1952, Davis led a group of four F-86 jet fighters on a patrol near the Manchurian border. One of the pilots in the group ran out of oxygen and was forced to retire from the area with his wingman. Davis and his wingman continued the patrol. They soon sighted what they estimated to be 12 MIG-15 fighters which were about to attack friendly bombers conducting low-altitude operations nearby. Despite being outnumbered, Davis attacked the MIG formation and shot down two enemy planes. He turned to make another pass and was hit by hostile fire. His wingman, First Lieutenant William Littlefield, saw Davis's plane crash into a mountain 30 miles south of the Yalu River. His body was never recovered. It was Davis's sixtieth combat mission in Korea and the two MIGs he shot down were his thirteenth and fourteenth kills, making him the leading ace pilot at the time.

For his courageous attack, which enabled the bombers to complete their mission, Davis was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in addition to the Distinguished Service Cross, a second Silver Star, a ninth cluster for his Air Medal, and a third cluster for his Distinguished Flying Cross. His wife, Doris Forgason Davis, received the Medal of Honor from General Nathan Twining at Reese Air Force Base on May 14, 1954. Davis's three children, Mary Margaret, George III, and Charles Lynn, his parents, and Senator Lyndon B. Johnson were also in attendance. Davis's name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the National Memorial of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. Also, a veteran's memorial was dedicated to him in Lubbock, Texas, on November 16, 1990; his official Medal of Honor headstone was placed there as a cenotaph by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Bibliography: "Above and Beyond: The Medal of Honor in Texas," Capitol Visitors Center, State Preservation Board of Texas. Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, University of Texas,

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/fda78.html, April 26, 2006. "Lt. Col. George A. Davis Jr.," Korean War 50th Anniversary, United States Air Force Museum,

GEORGE ANDREW DAVIS JR. (1920 ~ 1952). Medal of Honor recipient George Davis Jr. was born on December 1, 1920, in Dublin, Texas, to Pearl and George Davis Sr. After graduating from Morton High School in Morton, Texas, he attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas. Davis joined the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet on March 21, 1942, in Lubbock, Texas. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant after completing flight training on February 16, 1943.

In August 1943, Davis was assigned to the 342 Fighter Squadron, 348 Fighter Group, Fifth Fighter Command of the Southwest Pacific as a P-47 fighter pilot. Between August 30, 1943 and March 23, 1945, Davis completed 266 combat missions with a total of 705 hours of combat flight. During these missions he shot down seven enemy aircraft. For his service in World War II, Davis was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star, and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters.

Davis returned to the United States May 3, 1945. After completing a Student Flight Refresher Training course at Goodfellow Field, Texas, he was assigned as Base Operations Officer there from July to August 1945. Davis was transferred five times between 1945 and 1951, serving as a Jet Fighter Pilot, Flight Commander, and Air Inspector in California, Tennessee, New York, and Pennsylvania. While stationed at March Air Force Base, California, in 1950, Davis was a member of the Sabre Dancers jet demonstration team, a forerunner of the Air Force Thunderbirds, and was commended by his commanding officer, Colonel Howell Estes, for his performance in a public air show that year. He was promoted to Major in February 1951, and in October of that year he was sent to Korea. Davis was assigned to the Fourth Fighter-Interceptor Group as a Jet Fighter Pilot from October 23 to November 9, 1951. He was then assigned to the 334 Fighter-Interceptor Squadron as Squadron Commander.

On February 10, 1952, Davis led a group of four F-86 jet fighters on a patrol near the Manchurian border. One of the pilots in the group ran out of oxygen and was forced to retire from the area with his wingman. Davis and his wingman continued the patrol. They soon sighted what they estimated to be 12 MIG-15 fighters which were about to attack friendly bombers conducting low-altitude operations nearby. Despite being outnumbered, Davis attacked the MIG formation and shot down two enemy planes. He turned to make another pass and was hit by hostile fire. His wingman, First Lieutenant William Littlefield, saw Davis's plane crash into a mountain 30 miles south of the Yalu River. His body was never recovered. It was Davis's sixtieth combat mission in Korea and the two MIGs he shot down were his thirteenth and fourteenth kills, making him the leading ace pilot at the time.

For his courageous attack, which enabled the bombers to complete their mission, Davis was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in addition to the Distinguished Service Cross, a second Silver Star, a ninth cluster for his Air Medal, and a third cluster for his Distinguished Flying Cross. His wife, Doris Forgason Davis, received the Medal of Honor from General Nathan Twining at Reese Air Force Base on May 14, 1954. Davis's three children, Mary Margaret, George III, and Charles Lynn, his parents, and Senator Lyndon B. Johnson were also in attendance. Davis's name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the National Memorial of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. Also, a veteran's memorial was dedicated to him in Lubbock, Texas, on November 16, 1990; his official Medal of Honor headstone was placed there as a cenotaph by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ge

orge Andrew Davis. Jr.

George Andrew Davis, Jr., enlisted in the Air Corps, Army of the United States, at Lubbock, Texas, on 21 March 1942, and was appointed an Aviation Cadet on 3 June 1942, and completed the prescribed ground training course at Kelly Field, Texas, in August 1942. He transferred to the Primary Flying School, at Jones Field, Texas, and finished the course in October 1942, and then entered the Basic Flying School at Waco, Texas, finishing this course in December 1942. He transferred to the Advanced Flying School, Aloe Field, Texas. Upon completion of his pilot training he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve, on 16 February 1943, and rated pilot. After receiving his commission he was immediately called to active duty with the Air Corps and assigned as fighter pilot with the 312th Fighter Group. On 14 August 1943, he departed the United States by air for duty in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations. Upon arrival overseas he was assigned to the 342d Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, as fighter pilot. During his assignment from 30 August 1943 to 23 March 1945, he completed 266 combat missions for a total of 705 combat hours, destroyed seven enemy aircraft, and was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters. He returned to the United States 3 May 1945, and received Student Flight Refresher Training at Goodfellow Field, Texas, from 19 June to 4 July 1945. From 5 July to 10 August 1945, he was assigned as Base Operations Officer at Goodfellow Field, Texas. On 11 August 1945, he transferred to the 556th Army Air Forces Base Unit, Long Beach, California; 7 September 1946, assigned to the 554th Army Air Forces Base Unit, Memphis, Tennessee; 6 January 1947, assigned to the 71st Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, at March Air Force Base, California, Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, and Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, until 16 September 1951. During this period he was assigned duties as Flight Commander, Air Inspector, and Jet Fighter Pilot. On 16 October 1951, he departed the United States for duty in the Far East. Upon arrival, he was assigned as Jet Fighter Pilot with Headquarters 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group from 23 October to 9 November 1951. On 10 November 1951, he was assigned as Squadron Commander of the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and served with this organization until 10 February 1952, the date of his death. Colonel Davis was killed in action on 10 February 1952 while serving as the pilot of an F-86 aircraft participating in a combat mission over North Korea. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism on 27 November 1951 in action near Sinanju, Korea, and the nation's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for conspicuous gallantry on 10 February 1952.

However, in his book Red Wings over the Yalu: China, the Soviet Union, and the Air War in Korea, pages#163-168, Dr. Xiaoming Zhang shows the Chinese version of the air combat where George Davis was killed, and he also noted some interesting contradictions in the American official version of Davis' death:

Initially USAF did not report losses on February 10 1952, and claimed only one victory and three probables (that information was given by USAF to the "New York Times" thru an official communicate, and published in the article "Sabres Fight MiGs Five In Day" on February 11).

Only two days later, on February 12, USAF admitted the loss of Major Davis and corrected the tally for February 10 to two confirmed kills and one probable (evidently confirming one of the "probables" and discarding another), and only then credited both victories to Davis (FEAF Weekly Intelligence Roundup No.76, February 16 1952, USAFHRA) .

It is not clear why these two victories were credited to Davis, there was no guncamera footage to support such claims - that footage went down with the aircraft Davis flew that day, the F-86E BuNo 51-2752 (same source than previous item).

USAF authorities never performed a proper investigation about how an squadron leader so notorious like Davis made such undisciplined move that resulted in his death. That seemed to be irrelevant for them. They wanted Davis to die like a national hero, and that was why they awarded him the Medal of Honor and promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel. So many honors buried the main questions: "How?" "Why?"

After reading the available Chinese sources -the letter of Liu Yalou (CO of the PLAAF) to Mao Zedong on February 23 1952, and "Lantian zhi lu" (recollections of Chinese pilots) - Dr. Xiaoming Zhang found out the following facts:

On February 10 1952, 36 Chinese MiG-15s of the 4th Division scrambled at 7:30 hours (8:30 hours Seoul time) in two main groups to engage fighter-bombers approaching Kunu-ri. These two groups engaged the American Sabres in two separated air battles - both occurred at about 7:40 hs Beijing (8:40 hs Seoul time).

The first battle occurred over Taegwan-dong (45 miles SE of Sinuiju) and no blood was drawn: the Chinese neither did claim victories nor suffered losses.

The second battle happened over Taechon, and during it The Chinese Air Force (PLAAF) claimed two F-86 kills but lost three MiGs by Sabres.

The MiG-15 pilot who was credited with both F-86 kills (and comsequently with shooting down Major George A. Davis) was Zhang Jihui.

Both Zhang Jihui and his wingman Zhiyu Shan were two of the three Chinese losses that day, being both shot down AFTER Zhang destroyed Davis' F-86. The unfortunate Zhiyu perished.